


Reccomended books are love sonnets with someone else's words

by missmaddie



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: M/M, book store au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 10:25:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4518291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmaddie/pseuds/missmaddie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompted by anonymous on tumblr</p><p>"You come in to the bookstore I work at a lot."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reccomended books are love sonnets with someone else's words

"Excuse me?" 

Magnus looked up from the book he was reading (Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe) to look up at the boy.

Wow. Magnus almost gasped aloud. He's male protagonist gorgeous, with a hard chin and blue eyes and Harry Potter hair. 

He puts on his best greeter smile.

"Can I help you?" 

The boy, he had to be a boy, didn't look a day over 18, bless him, smiles tentatively.

"I was hoping you can recommend me a book?"

Magnus grinned. Recommending books was like doing crack.

"Well," he says, "what genre are you looking for?"

"I like, like..everything." 

Magnus resisted the urge to sigh. "Okay, what was the last book you read and loved? The last book you wanted a millions sequels too, the one you put off sleeping to read?"

A slow grin slide onto the man's face and Magnus knew he'd thought of it instantly. Books weren't like people. They stayed with you.

"I liked Legend."

Alec felt the back of his neck grow warm. The greeter was gorgeous. Gorgeous gorgeous, Jace Isabelle level attractive.

The greeter nodded, "Marie Lu? You like dystopian fiction?"

"I don't think there's any book I won't read," Alec admitted.

"Well, that makes my job incredibly easy." The greeter smiled.

He motioned for Alec to follow and lead him to a section in the back of the store.

"You're lucky" he says, dropping to his knees, and oh my god Alec couldn't focus because oh my god.

"I like to think of this generation of writers as the dystopian generation. Have you read Falling Kingdoms by Marie Lu? Or the two sequels to Legend?"

Alec shook his head.

"Well, there's prodigy and Champion."

"I think I'll take those, have you read them?"

Magnus nodded, pulling the books from the shelves.

"Both or just Prodigy?" 

"...both. With my luck I'll finish in the middle of the night and be screwed. Have you read them..?"

"Magnus," the greeter replied, leading him to the register. "And yeah, a while ago. God, when John- gah. I was a wreck." 

Alec laughed. "'The burden of an older siblings" 

"You have any?"

"Yeah, 3. Jace, Isabelle and Max." 

Magnus scanned the books.

"Isabelle, jace, max and?" 

"Alec."

"Well, Alec," he says, taking the crumpled up bills from Alec and printing the receipt, "enjoy. And come back soon!" 

Alec waves as he walks out, already opening 'Prodigy'. He almost misses his stop on the subway.

He's home and wrapped in a loose sweater and Marie Lu's words. Normally those would be impenetrable. 

Normally. He couldn't focus. Every time he lost himself in the page he'd think of Magnus.

Not, of course that they'd talked much, by normal circumstances, but Alec wasn't exactly normal when it came to socialising. There was a reason he was in a book store, not...Like, the mall or something. He just wanted to read, Dammit.

As he re-read page 34 for the twelveth time, he wondered long until it's socially acceptable to return.

He ends up cracking and returning in the next week, strolling thorough the aisles looking for Magnus. Hes got a story in mind, something about tea spilling and pages sticking together but it all spills out of his ears when he bumps into Magnus.

"Alec! Nice to see you back so soon." He knew it was part of his job requirements to be so nice, but Alec felt his heart spead up all the same.

"Did you finish Champion? Did you cry?"

Alec finds himself nodding emphatically, praying he can get through this conversation with the least amount of spoilers possible. 

"You're a really fast reader! Two books in three days, I'm impressed. What can I do for you?"

Marry me and love me forever and let me see if your lips are as wonderful as they look. 

"Uh" is all Alec says, instead. 

"Another book?" It comes out like a question and Magnus nods eagerly, chattering a million a minute about "Divergent" and "oh, you've already read that?" and "what about a love story?"

He leaves an hour later, dazed and holding The Song Of Achilles. 

Magnus stares at Alec as he leaves, grinning. 

He's still looking out the door, smiling dreamily And wondering what position Alec read in when Luke coughs behind him. 

"Magnus!"

"Yes?" 

"You do you don't actually work here right?"

Magnus waved him off. "Just appreciate the free labor, Garroway."

Luke frowned And leaned against the counter near Magnus.

"...is he cute?"

Magnus grinned. 

"I'm so offended you think I'd use books to get into someone's pants!"

"..." 

"...I gave him song of Achilles." 

"Why didn't you just ask if he's gay?"

"We've only just started talking, Luke. Have some subtlety why don't you? I don't want to scare him off!"

"Please don't, as it's my store." 

"What are you gonna do, fire me?" 

"I'll stop letting you read for free, loiterer." 

"...." 

At home, Alec tried very hard lose himself in his books. Now, he had three books to read. There was no reason to go back to the shop. 

As he flipped the pages, half reading half dreaming on Magnus moving his hands as he compared Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.

There was no reason to go back to the shop.

He gets his coat stuck in the door on his way out.

"How was Achilles?"

"Good. It was good." Alec answers shortly, wondering if there was a way he could wiki it enough for some conversation. 

Magnus grins and leans Into Alec, smiling. 

"Did you connect with any of the characters?"

"Not, specifically." Alec shrugs and Magnus' face falls.

"Ah." He says, before smiling again, but dimmer. 

Before Alec can ask what's wrong Magnus is chattering a mile a minute, reccomending books faster than Alec can breath. Faster than Magnus could breath, probably.

Alec stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder, gently. 

The first touch. He swallows and exhales, looking into Magnus' eyes, searching.

"Are you alright?" 

Magnus nods, looking away and pointing a the nearest book shelf.

"There's Throne of Glass right there," 

"Magnus." 

"I just wanted to recommend a bunch at once, cause I'm not gonna be here as often.."

"What?"

"I don't technically work here. Luke, the owner lets me read here for free but, yeah. I don't work here." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah."

Alec swallows, suddenly dry mouthed at the thought of not seeing Magnus. Even if he's only seen him a total of three times, for a few hours each time.

Alec decides to go for it, then. 

"I didn't read Song of Achilles. Or Champion or Prodigy. I should be and I started to, but I kept thinking about you." 

Magnus blinked. 

"I gave you Song of Achilles to see if you were gay." 

Alec cocked his head. 

"Why didn't you ask?" 

"Why didn't you tell me you kept thinking about me?" 

Instead of answering, Alec leaned forward and pressed his lips to Magnus'. 

He pulled back just as Magnus relaxed into kiss and he let out a little noise of loss as Alec pulled back.

"I can't stop thinking about you."


End file.
